Van Morrisson: The Smooth Jazz Years

(I should say traditional or urban blues - he was still doing blues in the '80s, but not in a way that evokes Muddy, Hooker or any of those guys he's name-checked over the years.)

but "When Heart Is Open" is dull and bankrupt

bullshit

Let's not get cranky in the Van Morrison thread.

I don't mind "When Heart is Open", but I can equally see where someone would feel it wasn't what Van ought to be doing. If it hadn't been released, though, everyone would wonder what it was like and be clamouring for it.

Van Morrison (post-Into the Music) is one of those artists where I don't really expect to love more than two or three songs per record, but I admire his (musical, not medical) integrity. He had the stubbornness to make records his way in the 80s when everyone else in his position was bringing in sequencers and hair-metal guitar solos. On the six records I've heard, there's rarely an actual bad moment if you accept the parameters of what he's doing.

I do agree with Greil Marcus that The Healing Game (1997) is a stand-out "late" record, not especially bluesy, and I suggest that birdistheword check it out. I'm as wary of Van's output in the last 15 years or so as I am of Neil Young's.

Both Poetic Champions and No Guru are GREAT albums. Inarticulate Speech is amazing too, one of his best albums.

I don't mind "When Heart is Open", but I can equally see where someone would feel it wasn't what Van ought to be doing. If it hadn't been released, though, everyone would wonder what it was like and be clamouring for it.

I don't think anyone who likes the rest of the album (like me) would say he was going in the wrong direction. It's very much apiece with the other tracks, but all it does is establish a mood before drifting for 15 minutes. I don't think it even sustains itself as great ambient music, it's just dull. Maybe it goes over better as background sounds rather than active listening, but that's not my idea of great music.

I've actually heard a lot of Van's music after this period, and I agree The Healing Game is one of the better ones, but it's not one of my favorites. "Rough God Goes Riding," the title track, maybe "Sometimes We Cry" and the B-side "Celtic Spring" are all excellent though.

Choppin' Wood (the "original" version of Down the Road) is my favorite Van album of the last 30+ years, even though it doesn't have "Fast Car" (my favorite track from Down the Road). It used to be the only one I enjoyed from start-to-finish until Roll with the Punches, which wasn't really heralded by the press. I checked it out after Marcus raved about it and surprisingly I enjoyed all of it. (It's over an hour, but it doesn't feel overstuffed. It plays like a good, off-the-cuff concert for him and a few friends.) I went back and checked out No Plan B (which Tom Hull loves), Versatile and Keep It Simple which some fans swear is his real comeback, but they weren't all that exciting to me, just okay. I might give them another chance, but compared to Roll with the Punches they seemed lacking in spark.

I gave Inarticulate Speech many chances, but I have no reason to play it anymore for the reasons stated. I wish I could like the rest of it. Poetic Champions is a better album, but I've never been able to enjoy the whole thing, it's always been tough going.

Re: Heartbeat - "Raglan Road," "She Moved Through the Fair" and "My Lagan Love" are keepers though

Van is in excellent voice on these slower tunes. Carrickfergus is also great especially the "the sea is wide and I can't swim over" lines.

Dammit, these still slap at breakfast.